Modern motor vehicles are equipped with a wide array of illumination devices that illuminate the exterior and interior of the vehicle. For example, exterior vehicle lighting devices perform stop lamp functions, tail lamp functions, headlamp functions, running light functions, dynamic bending light functions and fog lamp functions. Numerous studies have found that nighttime visibility is a key to highway safety.
To improve roadway safety, governments and other entities promulgate some form of safety regulations that specify motor vehicle lighting requirements. Such regulations help to ensure adequate illumination of the roadway and visibility of motor vehicles on the road so that their presence is apparent and their signals are understood in daylight, in darkness and in conditions of reduced visibility.
Most states, countries or regions which utilize motor vehicles have various requirements and standards that a vehicle must adhere to in order to legally use roadways within its jurisdiction. In the United States, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108 specifies various maximum and minimum photometric intensity values (based on angle) for headlamps of vehicles operated on its roadways. In addition to these requirements, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States has its own set of tests and ratings (Headlight Test and Rating Protocol) for headlamp performance. The IIHS tests and ratings seek to encourage manufacturers to improve the illumination performance in actual on-road use. IIHS evaluations have shown that the on-road illumination provided by vehicle headlamps varies widely. In addition, IIHS has rated the majority of headlamps in a poor category (e.g., insufficient illumination, excessive glare, etc.).
The foregoing BACKGROUND section is provided for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in the BACKGROUND section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.